Gambling therapist questions what goes through the mind of a betting addict

Ms Karter, of Level Ground Therapy in Harley Street, London, is currently treating a former professional football star with a gambling problem.

She said: “What goes through the mind of someone is spending £500,000 in a casino?

“Have they got more money than sense?

“When addicted to gambling, nobody is driven by logic but by powerful cravings for the gambling experience. The casino gambling addicts I have treated crave the thrill from the anticipation of the outcome, the buzz of the win.

“Walking away when winning feels impossible because of craving another thrill, from another win. They stay and play until the inevitable financial loss.

“With the loss of money comes an emotional and psychological crashing low, a feeling of defeat. They feel not just the pain of financial loss, but perceive themselves to be a failure.

“They have not only lost money- they themselves are a loser. These distressing experiences drive a catastrophic cycle of gambling addiction; hoping that a win will fix both finances and feelings.

“Footballers in my practice talk of loving the thrill of anticipation, a buzz from a win through their beautiful game and the casino offers another way to keep that buzz going.

“They are trained in the psychology of winning, of feeling in control, their role comes with a certain status and so a gambling loss- feeling like a loser- hit even harder and so they are hooked into loss chasing.

“ The amounts of money we see spent by footballers are vast but what we see is familiar behaviour for any gambling addict in action – the compulsion to stay and play until there is no more money left to lose.”

He said: “I never spoke to or met the bloke to whom I was sending my bets.

“I just knew him as Mike. At first I’d just put on £100 but then it started creeping up into the thousands. In the first few months I did well.

“On three separate occasions I won good sums which came to £51,000. I was paid my winnings in cash by a young lad who visited the training ground.”

Rooney said he was relieved when news of his losses of £700,000 — run up between September 2005 and February 2006 – was revealed in the press.

He added: “If he doesn’t address the large amounts of money he’s spending and start refocusing on football, he’s finished.

“No matter how many millions he’s got the bank this has the potential to ruin him.

“In my opinion it sounds like he’s looking for alternative highs because his football career is failing.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of footballers and the reason they’re addicted is because they obsess about their football and have an addictive personality, meaning most footballers have the potential to fall into an addictive cycle.

“Rooney was earning big money at 18 and has money to burn.

“It’s as addictive as cocaine. It’s the same high. I would challenge him to come clean about his gambling and seek counselling.”

Rooney has been linked to transfers to China as well as Everton — but said this week he wants to stay at Old Trafford.

The Sun told two weeks ago how Rooney cosied up to a woman in a Chester pub while Coleen was abroad.

Footage also emerged of him collapsed in a taxi on a different night out.

Rooney’s spokesman declined to comment yesterday.

FIX LAYS ACES LOW

The ex-Arsenal midfielder, 49, confessed to being so hooked on picking up the phone to place bets he would have had to break his own fingers to stop.
Chelsea’s Eidur Gudjohnsen, now 38, lost £6million, while fellow striker Michael Chopra, 33, who played for Newcastle and Sunderland, frittered away £2million.
Poker-loving former West Ham winger Matthew Etherington, 35, reckons he lost £1.5million while also backing horses and greyhounds.
Kenny Sansom, 58 — another England idol — still struggles with his gambling addiction. The alcoholic ex-Arsenal defender earned millions but is now skint.

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